Pebbles Underfoot
by Sombereyes
Summary: Two women lived on the edge of the hill. Everyday, they walked to the well. It was not side by side, or hand in hand, but on the opposite sides of the pebble laden path. Shizuru knew she should not cross over. It would not be wise, and yet, she dreamed to taste forbidden fruit. Such was the way of temptation.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: A multi-chaptered short series to keep some friends of mine from going insane. Natsuki/Nao, and Mai/Shizuru… Don't like it? Run, hide, flee!

 **Footnotes:** This takes place in the Edo era (1600's, or for historical reference: when Tokugawa Leyasu was the most powerful man alive after Hideyoshi died.)

 **The Pebbles Underfoot  
Chapter 1  
(A preamble)**

I was born and raised a villager's daughter. We were one of the more prominent families, but, we were not rich enough to find value in the city. My father spent his time in the fields, my mother dyed thread, and I spent my days by her side, learning to keep a house.

Like all who lived in the village, who were not of warrior class, we lived in modest housing. Even though we had more money, it was against the law to have a house grander than any warrior, especially if the man of the house was a farmer.

Unlike most women in the village, I was a schooled child, educated by my father himself. I was one of the few able to read and write beyond very basic literacy. This was due in part to my strict upbringing, and because my parents wanted me to be aware of the world in which I lived. I was taught to be more than merely a good wife and a wise mother. Although, it was impressed upon me that those thing always came first and foremost.

We were a traditional family, who unfortunately, lived near some very untraditional neighbors. They were nice enough people, surely, but I'd always been warned to stay away from them. We lived up on the grassy knoll, and they lived just at the bottom, nearest the well where we gathered our water.

Every morning when I was young, my father fetched the water. I'd follow him, and when I did, I'd see a little girl. One not too much younger than me. She also had a bucket in hand every morning, and, my father would help her to gather the cool liquid from deep within. As we grew older, we were firmly aware of each other.

I hadn't a clue as to her name. We walked not side by side, or hand in hand, but on the opposite sides of the pebble laden path. I'd see her every day. I watched her grow. As I got older, I began to understand what everyone meant.

She was a strange girl, so unlike the other young women of the village. Most women kept their hair long and straight, and I, myself was also one of the flock. This woman was different though; her hair cropped short, hardly shoulder length. That was improper, to speak the least. It was not the only oddity, though.

She was an unmarried woman, clearly. A married woman was expected to shave her eyebrows and wear her hair in an up-do more befitting her stature. This girl did nothing of the sort, and I never saw a man, save for her brother, around at all. She seemed to tend her home, mind the chores, mostly by herself.

I once inquired about the matter, and my father's response was to laugh. He's pat me on the shoulder, praised me for my kindness, and told me not to concern myself with such trivial matters. I was soon to be a married woman after all, and as such my mind was to be focused on the duties that would rest before me.

So, being the dutiful daughter, I nodded quietly and went to wash the linens. I had my place, and she had hers. My father was right, whatever was going on in her life most certainly wasn't my problem.

A woman's rights, her stature, was always less than that of a man. It didn't matter her breeding, well or not, my father would say. A woman was defined by her gender, and even the lowest man would always be higher than the highest woman. It was a matter of birthright, so my father would prattle distastefully.

In this, he was happy to be a villager, happy to not have any deeper responsibilities than to this tiny community. So long as the bull would lay with the cows in spring, and the rice grew plentiful, that was all my father worried about. There were three provisions my father kept above all else, and he made it loud and clear to any who would dare listen to his bluster.

A driven man of this village, he said, needed only three things to be truly happy.

A dry roof.  
A goal in life.  
A woman to warm his bed.

All other things, both good and bad, would come in time.

He didn't fully believe in mindset that women were lesser than men. Though he saw the logic in it, I knew he ignored most of it. He highly regarded my mother, and he educated me avidly when he didn't have to do either of those things.

Yet, he felt it was his responsibility. They never produced a son to take over the farm, and my father worried, seeking to marry me off as soon as possible.

Thankfully, my father received no few requests when it came to me, and his troubles came with selecting the best one. There were a few men that sat high on his list, but it was out of my hands. I'd known this since birth.

Because I had no agency, no sense of self other than to be strictly what I was. A woman, a wife, a mother, a caretaker to the home. I was raised to be alright with that, but some part of me felt uneased as well.

It was a truth that sat ill with me, I wanted to defy it so profusely, turning my back on even that privilege. I envied her, that strange woman with short cropped hair. She had to have more freedom than me, or so I thought…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Double post today, since I wanted to give it a good head start….Next Chapter will be in a handful of hours…

 **The Pebbles Underfoot  
Chapter 2**

A long day in the fields were coming to an end, the day just as tiring as it was rewarding. Life in the village was usually rather quiet, but, there were occasions when ruckus stirred up. Akane watched from her place, rocking her infant son back and forth. The little boy was nodding off, but she paid no mind to that.

Her eyes were focused on watching her trouble making daughters. They were harassing the chickens again.

"They are restless, aren't they?" Shizuru said with a small laugh as she leaned over to prod the evening fire.

"Hmm." Akane agreed. "They can be."

The sun, casting a molten hue in the sky provided very little light. The light from the roaring fire flickered over the faces of those who sat near the circle. The heat licked at all of them, chasing away the cool night air. All of them were villagers that had nothing better to do but to pass the time. "If it is any consolation, it could be worse, I believe."

"How so?" A man to Akane's right -her husband- asked.

Crimson eyes twinkled in amusement. "They could be harassing my father's bull again."

"Ah," the man laughed. "Could be… Could be indeed!"

"That bull's a lucky one…" Akane agreed.

"That old rooster of yours too." Shizuru said while nodding in the direction of the coup.

"Doesn't look too lucky at the moment, though." Reito said from his place, emptying his sake cup. "Ah, the plight of a strapping young man. Always a gaggle of girls to follow them."

"As excitable as they are, it's about time they found themselves tucked into bed for the night." Akane told him, as she handed the boy over to her husband. "Kazuya, take him inside, would you?"

Shizuru righted herself from her place, offering a small bow. "I should be heading home too, really."

"Ah, well if you're to be off, perhaps I should accompany you." Reito said as he too stood up from his place, fixing the swords at his side as he did so.

"It would be an imposition." Shizuru concluded, though she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"It wouldn't be in the slightest." He told her, as they began their walk side by side.

"If you insist…"

"Oh, but I do, and I doubt there's anything you can say to dissuade me."

"I'm sure I can think of quite a few things." Shizuru told him.

They shared a laugh at that.

He was an honest man, tall and slender. As a swordsman, and part of the village guard, he was the kind of respectable young man a person would want to marry. Strangely though, Shizuru had never found herself attracted in such a way to him. Even if he was the most eligible young man she'd ever come across, she thought of Reito as only a good friend and nothing more.

"I enjoy your company very much." Reito replied to her, dark eyes gentle as he glanced to the side.

The two of them rounded the bend in the dirt road that took them into the heart of the village. Shizuru's home was well away from such a place, and their short journey brought them beyond a few trees and plenty of open grass. The local children tended to play there. The hill was a simple one to climb, the stairs swept and tended to every single day. However, once atop the small summit, there was sights to behold from all around.

"Ah, the village seems tranquil from up here." Reito said once they stopped to take a look around.

"Isn't it always?" She asked him, but he merely shook his head.

"To me, less tranquil than most." He gave a happy little smile. "Part of a guard's duty, I suspect." It was still barley season, and he could see the field, where young barley grew green and plentiful. "It's nice to have a moment to ourselves."

"Is anything wrong?" Shizuru asked, placing a hand on his forearm. "You seem troubled, Reito."

"Do I?"

"Very."

He turned to her. "It is not that I am troubled." Reito said then, as he gently took her hand in his. "It is that I'm finally at peace. You ease me greatly, you know. It would be nice if I had your company to myself more often."

Shizuru forced a smile, finding it quite difficult. "Companionship is an easy thing to offer you."

"Has your father decided?" Reito asked as he lifted his hand to gently caressed Shizuru's cheek. He noticed her flinch ever so slightly, and put his hand back down.

"He has not." Shizuru partially hoped that her father would never decide, as Shizuru herself had no desire for a husband. "I am no more promised to you, as I am anyone else in this village surely, so you can understand."

"Ah, say no more." Reito smiled gently, as he brushed away the small twinge of pain he felt. "It was improper of me to show you such attention when you are not even promised to me. It must be hard for you, I apologize."

Shizuru could only sigh. "He means well…"

"I know that he does." Reito murmured as they began to walk once more. "Shizuru…I…" He sighed the words at the tip of his tongue. He nipped on them, chomping them at the bit. It would be too inappropriate to say.

Shizuru merely smiled. "I know, Reito."

They reached the front of Shizuru's home, where they bid each other good night, and she watched as he began to his own home. He had quite a walk, because it was on the other side of the village. He was a good man, a strong one, and she knew she should have no problem being married to him, but something in her gut lurched when she even thought of it.

She sat outside a little while longer, watching as the woman from the bottom of the hill exited her home to draw some drinking water from the well. She did it every night around this time, and every night she scurried back into her home without delay. The home at the bottom of the hill, like most other houses in the area sported a planked roof, with sturdy wooden walls. Even from the distance, she could spot the cooking fire within, setting the small windows aglow.

Knowing it was time for her to go inside as well, Shizuru turned to her own door, one made with matted bamboo. Inside the entry led directly into the main living area, where her mother's own fire warmed the house splendidly.

"Would you like me to tend the fire?" She asked her mother, but the aging woman shook her head.

"It's all right." The woman said as she sat at the table. "Did you enjoy your evening?"

"Akane needed help with the sewing." Shizuru told her mother as she too sat down. "Kazuya tends to be hard on his kosode."

The woman was graying out, her eyes a gentle brown, a color so unlike Shizuru's own crimson. With wisdom that only came of age, the woman shrugged. "That's the way men are." She meandered over to the window to close it. "Speaking of the whims of men, did you know that you've caught the eye of another suitor?"

Shizuru sighed deeply. Of course she had. "Another? That must be so troublesome. No, it never crossed my mind."

"Your father is in his glory." The woman said with a laugh. "You know how he titters on."

"That I do, mother." Shizuru muttered as she eyed the sleeping room door with a frown. "That I do."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Pebbles Underfoot  
Chapter 3**

The next morning, Shizuru was the earliest to rise, a common event as her parents aged.

A piece of wood crackled and popped in the small fire pit used to warm the house, and to cook. The jumping sparks fell into the ash and sand before petering out into nothingness. Shizuru prodded the wood, listening as it hissed and crackled once more, before settling a pot of water over the short flame. By the window, she saw an engagement gift, a fine silk cloth that could be made into a proper kimono.

It was a rare gift for a village girl such as herself, and she sighed. The soft baby blue color was a flattering choice, the red cherry blossom pattern on the edges a sign of good work. "Reito's wife…" Shizuru shook her head. "A silly event, surely trite, really."

She needed more water for the stewpot, and went to fetch some by the well. Her trek downwards was long and slow, but eventually, she reached the bottom. She could only carry two well buckets for her father's four, and even though she thought it might appear a weakness, she was surprised to see that she was not the only one gathering water first thing in the morning.

The strange woman was there. She filled two buckets, and then two more, hoisting all four of the large buckets onto her shoulders as if it were nothing. Man's labor, that's how it appeared, and yet, the woman was very clearly a lonely young lady. With no man of the house, and undesirable for her fortune, or lack of it.

"You should not do that all by yourself…"

Violet eyes that looked far too exhausted turned, apprising Shizuru. "No one else to do it." The strange young woman replied with a respectful nod of her head. She neither asked for help, nor waited for the offering of it. She merely continued her pace, likely under the insistence of the weight she carried.

Shizuru tried to think, it had been several years since she'd seen her father help this young woman, although it was clear that the woman was perfectly capable. She recalled the past. That some time ago, her mother would bring the girl miso soup in the morning, and a few bowls of rice. Feeling the urge to do something so indisputably from the past, she hurried home with her own water for the cooking pot.

After tending the fire once more properly, she committed herself to her task.

Her mother had decades more experience at cooking, comparatively to Shizuru's small handful, and the skill of that was very clearly seen as she stirred her finished creation. It was not her mother's work, just like her mother's ability to dye brightly colored threads, there was something just so wonderful about the woman.

Feeling a pangs of jealousy and inadequacy once more, she cursed to herself. Now was not the time for her misgivings. She carried the packaged morsels down the hill, and over to the lonely little hut, calling from the door, also made of Bamboo…yet, this mat was old and frayed. It was not the kind of thing one would expect for the coming weather, as a poorly made mat, meant the elements could get in.

"Mai I help you?" Again, that violet eyed gaze, so tired, so restless...so sad.

"I brought you breakfast…" Shizuru said in offering. "It was my family's duty, once, not too long ago."

"Three years ago, they stopped." Mai raised the flap anyway. "That's when I began to cook for myself."

Shizuru smiled as they sat in the too small main room, where the small cooking area and sitting area sat combined, sparsely furnished. "It's not my mother's best, but it is my best. I hope it pleases you."

Mai sipped from one of the bowls. There was the taste of miso and fish, but also something more…something an inexperienced hand would surely add. It was a good flavor, if not an odd one. "It tastes wonderful."

Shizuru's smile brightened. "I'm glad." In her deepest memories, Shizuru knew that Mai was not alone, but she certainly seemed to be now. "You are by yourself?"

"I look after my brother." Mai explained with a smile, but it was sad and worn. "We do not often expect callers, you see. Only when Shiho makes the rounds, and even then, it's a strange thing...she stays longer than most, treats us kindly…but, she is the village priestess, it should be expected."

Shizuru wondered who would come calling, what with the way the girl in-front of her looked. "Your hair, it is not the image of a maiden, but the cut of a warrior class. Strange for a woman, no? Stranger still, for a woman of our age."

Mai laughed and shrugged, her fingers running over her short tresses. "The cut of a person who has no one to look after her hair. I cut it myself, with a blade."

Shizuru nodded, that made sense. "You do not gather with the others. I wondered about that, if you were of warrior's blood."

The carrot topped woman laughed even harder, her hand rising up to cover her lips. "Even if I were such a class…even if that were so, I'm no warrior myself. It matters who holds the blade, so I thought."

How little she knew, it appeared. "A warrior's daughter, she is acknowledged as what she is, of warrior's blood…even if it is not nobility. Though, she often looks and acts like any other woman might..."

"My father, he was a warrior." Mai said then, turning to poke at her fire, the coals were small and she added a log. "To say he was an honorable one, however, should be held in the eye of the beholder. Even as a small child, I knew he was stripped of his class, I believe that's the problem."

"It could be." Shizuru admitted sadly. If that's the case, she should not be seen with the woman. She stood. "In any case, please enjoy the offering, and, for what it may be worth, I'm glad we had the opportunity to talk."

"You do not have to worry." Mai said with a nod, as she stood to see Shizuru out. "I am able to tent to my brother and myself, still, I thank you for the meal, and your concern, all the same."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Pebbles Underfoot  
Chapter 4**

Shizuru had expected to collect her dishes at a later date, but Mai had proven herself to be at least a little brazen.

Sometime in the night, the bowls had been returned to the front door. They were cleaned and along with them came a small thank you note scrawled across a scrap of parchment. Shizuru had put the dishes away before her parents could inquire about them, and had returned to her loom work. She was not as good as her mother, and the smell of indigo was not a scent she fancied, even if the color was later beautiful.

Shizuru spun thread for long hours at a time, thinking about the woman who clutched at her attention so easily.

Mai…the woman was of warriors blood, of warriors ilk and make…perhaps, it was not unfathomable to consider her a caretaker of a blade as well, but to know that, to question it, would require Mai to actually admit to the truth…something Shizuru thought near impossible by nature.

They said no more words, exchanged very little between them for the next few days. It was out of mutual avoidance, surely, as they even didn't go to the well at the same time. Still, Shizuru was sure to tend to her duties as was expected of a woman of her age and disposition.

It was not until prompted by a rather odd string of events, that she even thought to consider the woman on the other side of the path. Shizuru had no sooner begun stirring the fire on one fine morning when a curse came flying out of her father's mouth. "Is everything quite alright?" She asked, when she saw him storm into the house.

"Damnit, I knew, I just knew it!" He blustered as he fetched himself a drink of water. "Bandits, the lot of 'em, and yet the guard does nothing..."

"I beg your pardon?" Shizuru asked quietly, knowing better than to look the irate man in the eye. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"They're back again, those degenerates. I could not escape them, or be rid of them, even if I wanted to." He said, gesturing towards the outside. There walking on the pebble laden path below were two women. Both were born of warrior class families and they sat across from the house, perching happily on Mai's door step. "That they're here now, what a disgrace to our humble little village. It isn't even market week."

Shizuru recalled the two women, but, they were not villagers, at least not ones she could recall. They passed by often enough, but like most other villagers, she gave them very little attention. "Who are they?"

"Thorns in our side." He muttered as he settled himself at the table. "I'll have you know, Shizuru, there are some things…" He took a breath to cool his temper before continuing. "Some things, that just do not make sense to me, and those two women, they simply are beyond my ken."

"Father, you seem more than just a little bothered…" Shizuru brought some boiled water to the table, pouring it over some tea leaves. "I've never seen you so upset over two women before."

"Mildly put, but yes." He sighed at length, blowing on his tea and taking a sip. "They have no home, the two of them. Traveling around, they might as well be merchants…or bandits...most possibly bandits...who knows when they'll try to burgle ours houses late into the night. I'll have my axe at the ready."

"Looters?" Shizuru peeped outside once more. "They hardly look the type."

"The short one, with red hair…" He said with a shake of his head. "She's vicious…you mark my words, dearest daughter. The one with the long hair, taller, broader in the shoulders, she I believe is confused. She would better be coined a princess rather than a sword master. Why the village guard allows them to pass by, I will never understand."

She nodded, but inwardly, she could not expunge the feeling of disbelief.

"Enough of that, we need not let it darken out door. I have news. My daughter, there was another gift today…" He wanted to push his mind away from the trouble across the street. "Pressed flowers, poetry, you have a grand many suitors…it is time, perhaps, that I decide for you a proper husband."

"You've made a choice?" Shizuru asked, but the man only offered her a sideways glance. "So soon?" She didn't see it, her crimson eyes watching as Mai slipped out from her hiding place from within her home, offering cups of water to the travelers.

"I would ask of your interests…" He said quietly, raising his eyebrow. "One that perhaps includes your future, and not the rabble across the street…"

"Oh, that…" Shizuru offered a laugh, diverting her attention from people watching. Instead, she went about returning to the fire. "My desire is to wait, because I do not have an interest…"

…

Outside, the three women laughed, partaking of a rare, yet very opportune visit.

"Are you here long?" Mai asked, as she offered her friends a few cups of cool water. It was a lonely question, encouraged by her need for companionship.

"Only long enough to patch that blasted roof of yours," Nao spat the words, she could see cracks where it would clearly leak. "It still needs fixing."

"I can't afford to fix the roof, it's too expensive." Mai replied, her words little more than truth. "We keep warm enough as it is."

"Until the snow nips at your toes." Nao nearly growled. "The roof isn't fit to piss on, let alone live under."

"She has a point." Natsuki said, folding her arms, tucking her hands into the sleeves of her kosode. "The winters grow harsher by the year, and even if you could keep warm, I'd fear for the ick your brother caries in his lungs. Come the chill, it'll return as it always does." She pulled out a small bag of coin. It was nothing particularly impressive, but more than she knew Mai had. "Speaking of the impending snowfall, these are for expenditures."

"Natsuki, I can't accept this." Mai said, unwilling to take the pouch.

"Think of it as room and board." Nao pressed, but Mai still shook her head.

"You pay for both with your skills as hunters, we always have fresh meat in the winter thanks to you." Mai felt a warm hand on her back. It was Natsuki's for sure, since Nao was busy lounging about, resting her chin in her palm. "I could never ask of you to do more than you already do."

"We ain't asking." Nao finally ordered. "We're telling, and you'll do as we say without dispute…else I'll slice out your tongue to shut you up…"

"Nao!" Natsuki barked. "Lay off, would you? Some people might actually think of that as an honest threat!" Natsuki turned to Mai, hands pressed together in a respectful bow, apologetic and little more. "This winter, the north passage out of the village is likely to be snowed in. It makes little sense to travel northbound only to get stuck up there mid-fall. That's when the mudslides begin in earnest. We want to stay till spring, and besides, winters are hard on you, weather you admit that or not."


End file.
